Isang drenches Luzon; Metro Manila flooded anew

MANILA, Philippines — Classes were suspended anew, traffic was snarled and thousands stranded as many areas of Metro Manila were again submerged in floodwaters yesterday spawned by Tropical Depression Isang.

Manila residents complained that the flooding in the city was unusually heavy, inundating the areas around city hall, which some officials described as “city hell.”

Isang slightly slowed down as it crossed Quirino province yesterday afternoon, bringing rains and strong winds over parts of Luzon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

As of 4 p.m., the center of Isang was located in the vicinity of Aglipay, Quirino, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 90 kph. It was moving west-northwest at 15 kph.

Signal No. 1 remained raised over Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Aurora and the northern part of Nueva Ecija.

Isang and the enhanced southwest monsoon will bring heavy rains over Zambales and Bataan, with 100 to 200 millimeters of rainfall expected until this afternoon.

Blame for Metro Manila floods

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said some pumping stations in Manila “were not able to cope with floodwaters” as outlets were also submerged. He said the drainage system in Metro Manila is 70 percent silted.

He also noted that it was high tide when it rained Friday morning and that some drainage systems were blocked by trash even after recent clean-up operations.

He said the DPWH is trying to assist LGUs and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in flood management, but maintained that engineering interventions are just part of the solution.

“It has to be done holistically and in an integrated manner. Like what we say in Metro Manila, we have our engineering interventions, but I think we have to address solid waste management, we have to address land use, resettlement of informal settlers, the drainage system,” Bonoan said.

“The internal drainage system of Metro Manila is so old and antiquated and actually silted. Seventy percent of the drainage system of Metro Manila is silted,” he maintained.

Bonoan said they are implementing components of the Metro Manila master plan, which he said would cost a total of P351 billion. Among these are the Pasig-Marikina flood management program and the rehabilitation and upgrading of pumping stations.

The rains caused flooding up to two feet deep in portions of Taft Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, Kalaw Avenue, Quirino Avenue, Leveriza, Pedro Gil, San Marcelino and Padre Faura in Manila, as well as Andrews Avenue in Pasay.

In Pasay, floodwaters submerged 10 areas, including parts of Edsa and Taft Avenue, making them impassable for light vehicles.

Pasay Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano inspected creeks in Barangay 156 and 186, where the situation was normal.

In Barangay 183, some students wading in floods up to their waist were given a free ride by the Philippine Air Force using one of its trucks.

Heavy traffic

At the Skyway elevated section, a traffic jam in the Bicutan area extended 3.5 kilometers, while the congestion along the Alabang Extension reached 2.5 kilometers.

The tail-end near the Magallanes area of the Skyway at-grade section stretched three kilometers.

On the NAIA Expressway, the traffic jam along Old NAIA Road heading to Makati extended 1.5 kilometers.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced six cancelled and three diverted flights as of noon yesterday. 

CAAP information officer Bea Bernardo said a total of nine domestic flights were affected and about 1,019 passengers stranded in their respective airports.

In Manila, the roads surrounding Ospital ng Maynila, Philippine Normal University, Adamson University, Philippine General Hospital and the city hall became inaccessible to motorists because of deep floods.

Commuters were left stranded in the middle of widespread floods, some waiting to climb up the elevated stations of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) at portions of Taft Avenue while wading through floodwaters below.

Class suspensions

At least 16 of the 17 LGUs in Metro Manila declared a suspension of classes yesterday.

First to suspend face-to-face classes in all levels, both public and private, was Muntinlupa, followed by Parañaque and Las Piñas.

Pasig and Pateros suspended classes in all levels of public and private schools at 11 a.m. Manila, San Juan, Taguig and Pasay declared its suspension of face-to-face classes in all levels of public and private schools at noon.

Mandaluyong, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Marikina declared the suspension of in-person afternoon classes in all levels.

Valenzuela suspended afternoon in-person classes from kindergarten to senior high school in public and private schools. The local government left the discretion to private colleges and universities to suspend classes.

Makati suspended afternoon classes from day care to Grade 12 for both public and private schools. — Janvic Mateo, EJ Macababbad, Michael Punongbayan, Bella Cariaso, Mark Ernest Villeza, Ghio Ong, Brix Lelis, Rudy Santos